ST JOHN’S, Antigua (CMC) — Residents of the hurricane-ravaged island of Barbuda are being urged to evacuate ahead of the pending passage of Hurricane Jose – a Category one storm churning 800 miles east of the Lesser Antilles.

“If this other storm Jose is going to be a threat to Barbuda we have to evacuate them,” Prime Minister Gaston Browne said after returning from a brief visit to the sister island late Wednesday.

Irma, a deadly storm that took the life of a toddler in Barbuda, moved on to wreak havoc on islands of the northern Caribbean.

Following a late night Cabinet meeting, Browne announced that the Government was declaring Barbuda a disaster zone and implementing a state of emergency.

Resources, including security, medical personnel and critical supplies, were mobilised and helicopters were secured for transport to the island.

However, the Codrington air strip was damaged during the storm, thereby preventing planes from landing.

Boats are also challenged to find suitable mooring due to damage at the dock.

Browne estimates that 60 per cent of the island’s population has been made homeless as a result of the hurricane, sparking fear that residents do not have adequate shelter and supplies to sustain another storm.

Irma, a Category five storm, practically decimated the houses and other infrastructure on the 62-square mile island that is home to 1,500 people.

Telecommunications equipment, roads and public utilities were all crippled by the storm that travelled directly over Barbuda.

Meanwhile, electricity was restored to St John’s and other communities throughout Antigua late Wednesday.

The restoration of power paved the way for some sense of normality in the capital and early yesterday banks, shops and other businesses began operating with limited hours.

Meanwhile, Irma continues to wind her way across the Caribbean.